This invention relates to the floppy disks used to record information for computer devices, and more specifically to an automatic mechanism for feeding floppy disks into and out of a computer disk drive so that information can be coded onto, or read from, the floppy disk.
Floppy computer disks, or diskettes, are used in the data processing industry for storing computer programs, temporary storage of data, and numerous other storage functions. The floppy disks are generally flat, circular sheets of flexible plastic having a magnetic coating on which information can be stored. These circular plastic disks are stored inside of square envelopes or jackets which prevent the disk from being damaged and abraded, as well as providing a more convenient storage container. The floppy disk is generally thought of consisting of the circular plastic disk permanently enclosed in the square jacket.
The plastic disk has a central hole which fits over the hub or spindle of a computer disk drive so that the plastic disk can be rotated inside of the jacket. A magnetic recording or detecting head is located in the disk drive in order to read data from or write data onto, the spinning plastic disk.
Conventional mechanisms generally have a stack of floppy disks which are fed into a disk drive one at a time. After information is coded onto or read from the plastic disks, the floppy disk is ejected into a receiving bin. In some cases, the disk drive verifies that the program has been correctly recorded onto the floppy disk. If an error is detected, then the floppy disk is ejected into a reject bin.
Prior art loading and unloading mechanisms occasionally damaged the plastic disks when the floppy disks were literally thrown into the disk drive. Further, the plastic disks would occasionally slide to one end of the protective jacket so that the hub or spindle on the disk drive did not properly engage the hole in the floppy disk. Improper engagement could either damage the plastic disk, or jam the disk drive. There is thus a need in the industry for a loading and unloading device which can quickly and accurately position the floppy disks in a disk drive, without harming the flopp disks.
There is a large variety in the types of disk drives presently used in the computer industry. This variation in the construction and dimensions of the various disk drives made it difficult to produce a loading and unloading mechanism which can accommodate a large variety of disk drives without requiring protracted installation and alignment procedures, as well as periodic recalibration of the disk drive alignment. There is thus a need in the industry for a floppy disk loading and unloading mechanism which can accurately position floppy disks in a variety of disk drives, or preferably, is designed for interchangeable disk drives.